Pioneer Soccer teams have new home field at Highmark Stadium

The Point Park University men’s and women’s soccer teams are enjoying a major upgrade to their programs – the addition of Highmark Stadium as the new home venue for both teams.

Highmark Stadium, the newest professional sports stadium to join the Pittsburgh skyline, became the new home field of Pioneers men’s and women’s soccer beginning in the fall 2013 season.

On the Waterfront

Highmark Stadium is located in Station Square on the South Side of Pittsburgh and is visible from the Point Park’s Downtown campus. The state-of-the-art, 4,000-seat stadium is the home venue of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the city’s professional soccer team of USL Pro.

The soccer-specific facility was built during the winter of 2012-13, and it officially opened on April 13, 2013 with the Riverhounds’ 2013 home opener. Highmark Stadium soon became the place for soccer enthusiasts in Pittsburgh to gather with the Riverhounds selling out numerous games in the summer of 2013.

With Pittsburgh’s new epicenter of soccer in place within walking distance of campus, it became a natural fit for Point Park to make Highmark Stadium its new, official home venue of Pioneers soccer.

The Point Park men’s and women’s soccer teams officially moved into the Highmark Stadium when the teams reported for preseason training in August 2013. Both Point Park teams played 10 regular season games there during the 2013 season, and they even hosted playoff games in their first year there.

Premier Facility, Spectacular Views

A major appeal of Highmark Stadium is its spectacular views. With an entire sideline open to the Pittsburgh skyline, it provides a backdrop that rivals any stadium in the country. The team benches and stands face the city, and there is also a large, electronic scoreboard on the opposite side.

The playing surface is professional grade with artificial turf providing a consistent and playable pitch for the Pioneers to hone their craft. All in all, the Pioneers are glad to call the premier soccer facility in Pittsburgh their new home venue.

Point Park’s home soccer fields in recent years have been Founders Field in Cheswick, Pa., Century United in South Park, Pa., and Cupples Stadium on the South Side.

“We are very excited to play at Highmark Stadium because the quality of the turf and also the venue itself are second to none,” said Point Park men’s soccer head coach Jeroen Walstra. “The players love it, and they are proud to be Pioneers. They talk very positively of their experience here, and it will really help in recruiting.

“The close proximity to campus is also a great thing not only for our student-athletes but also for our fans, who now have a much more hospitable place to root for the Pioneers.”

Text and photo by Kevin Taylor, director of athletics communicationsThe Point is a magazine for alumni and friends of Point Park University